I Had an Arranged Marriage With My Unrequited Love — Chapter 21

...AH.

AFTER ARGUING LIKE THAT, AND THEN SHARING A BED...

YET YOU SEND FLOWERS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING... YOU REALLY...

SERIOUSLY... WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING MY HEART FLUTTER AFTER DOING ALL THIS?

GOOD MORNING, MADAM. DID YOU SLEEP WELL?

AH, YES...

AND... WAS IT BECAUSE I DREAMED OF PHIL LAST NIGHT?

FOR JUST A BRIEF MOMENT, I SAW HIS IMAGE OVERLAPPING YOURS...

OH, I THOUGHT YOU'D HAVE LEFT EARLY...

I HAD SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, SO I WAITED FOR YOU TO WAKE UP.

IT'S AN ORDER FROM HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY.

YOU'RE SCHEDULED TO DEPART FOR THE DUCHY SOON,

SO IT WOULD BE BEST TO START PACKING WHAT YOU NEED TODAY.

...THE DUCHY? DO YOU MEAN THE NORTHERN CASTLE?

YES, A SUDDEN MESSAGE ARRIVED FROM THE ESTATE.

THE PEOPLE THERE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE NEW DUCHESS AS WELL,

SO IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOU TO HEAD DOWN FIRST, MADAM.

STAYING IN THE CAPITAL HIMSELF... WHILE SENDING ME AHEAD...?

COULD IT BE BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME...? HAS HE GROWN TO HATE EVEN THE SIGHT OF ME?

IRENE.

I'VE PREPARED PLENTY OF LEATHER AND FURS, SO PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE.

THE NORTH IS MUCH COLDER THAN THE CAPITAL.

...YES, I UNDERSTAND.

I’LL GET READY AS YOU INSTRUCTED, YOUR GRACE.

...LET’S HAVE BREAKFAST DOWNSTAIRS TOGETHER LATER. I’LL HEAD DOWN FIRST.

YES, I’LL BE DOWN SHORTLY.

...WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?

WHY BRING ME FLOWERS AND ACT SO SWEET WHEN HE'S PUSHING ME AWAY LIKE THIS...?

BUT...

WHAT'S THE POINT OF QUESTIONING HIM AND DEMANDING ANSWERS?

THE MOMENT I ASK...

...IT'LL ONLY GIVE HIM AN EXCUSE TO THROW ME AWAY.

IT WOULD BE LESS PAINFUL FOR BOTH OF US...

...IF I JUST BACKED OFF QUIETLY WITHOUT ASKING A THING.

THIS IS...

...THE WATCH I BOUGHT TO GIVE FELIX FOR CHRISTMAS.

COME TO THINK OF IT, CHRISTMAS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

I WANTED TO GIVE IT TO HIM BEFORE LEAVING FOR THE DUCHY...

...IT'S BROKEN.

JUST LIKE OUR RELATIONSHIP... RUINED BEFORE IT COULD EVEN BEGIN.

MARY. COULD YOU TAKE THIS WATCH... TO A REPAIR SHOP AND GET IT FIXED?

YES, MADAM.

I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT THE NEXT TIME I GO OUT.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

NORMALLY, THE NORTHERN CASTLE IS NO PLACE FOR ANYONE TO STAY DURING WINTER.

THE FREEZING WINDS MAKE IT EASY TO FALL ILL.

ORIGINALLY, I INTENDED TO LEAVE IRENE IN THE CAPITAL AND VISIT THE ESTATE ALONE.

REGARDLESS OF ALEXA'S ORDERS, I DIDN'T WANT TO BRING YOU TO A PLACE STILL SCARRED BY WAR AND PLAGUE.

HOWEVER...

WITH SUSPICIOUS OUTSIDE FORCES AND JOSHUA NEARBY, I CAN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE.

I'M ALSO AFRAID TO SPEAK WITH YOU HONESTLY... TERRIFIED I'LL HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT THAT 'LOVER' OF YOURS AGAIN.

IT MAY BE SELFISH, BUT IF IT CAN MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR FEELINGS FOR THAT MAN...

...EVEN IF I MUST LOCK YOU AWAY IN THE FREEZING WINTER, I WANT TO KEEP YOU BY MY SIDE.

YOUR GRACE.

IRENE'S MAID?

WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND?

IT'S AN ITEM MADAM ASKED ME TO TAKE FOR REPAIR, YOUR GRACE.

A GIFT BOX I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

WHO IS SHE PLANNING TO GIVE IT TO? DON'T TELL ME...

IS IT FOR THAT MAN?

I SEE. YOU MAY GO.

YES, YOUR GRACE.

...I CAN'T JUST SIT IDLY BY ANYMORE.

EVEN IF YOU HATE ME AND RESENT ME, THAT'S FINE.

HOWEVER, TO PUT AN END TO THIS RELENTLESS SLANDER AND SUSPICION, THE ONLY WAY IS...

ONE WEEK LATER. A RUN-DOWN TAVERN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CAPITAL.

SIR, IS IT STILL NOT THE RIGHT TIME?

USUALLY, WITH THINGS LIKE THIS, YOU OUGHT TO BLEED THEM DRY WHILE THEY'RE OPENING THEIR PURSE.

WHY DON'T WE JUST LEAK THE NEW PHOTOS TO THE STOCK MARKET INSTEAD?

THAT WOULD SURELY DEAL A MASSIVE BLOW TO THE DUCAL HOUSE'S STANDING.

...UM, SIR.

ARE YOU... PERHAPS PLANNING NOT TO MAKE A MOVE ANYMORE?

PARDON ME, BUT SINCE THERE'S NO TELLING HOW THE DUCAL HOUSE WILL REACT NEXT,

...MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST PULL OUT AS WELL.

HEY, TOM.

DIDN'T I TELL YOU? THE IMPERIAL FAMILY IS STILL STANDING STRONG.

RIGHT NOW, WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED?

DID THE DUKE AND DUCHESS DIVORCE? DID THEY LOSE THE PUBLIC'S FAVOR?

NOTHING.

NOT A SINGLE THING HAS CHANGED.

...YES, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I'M SAYING THIS, SIR.

WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO RELEASE EVERYTHING AT ONCE AND HIT THEM WITH FULL FORCE?

AFTER ALL, ISN'T THE DUCAL HOUSE YOUR MAIN TARGET, SIR?

LAST TIME, YOU CLEARLY TOLD ME TO 'BITE INTO THE IMPERIAL FAMILY'...

TOM.

'NOTHING HAS CHANGED.' THAT'S WHAT MATTERS.

EVEN AFTER THE PLAGUE SWEPT THROUGH AND COUNTLESS FAMILIES PERISHED...

IN THE END, THIS NATION IS RECOVERING, IS IT NOT? AS THOUGH NOTHING EVER HAPPENED.

THAT'S WHAT IMPERIAL AUTHORITY IS. PERFECT, UNBLEMISHED, ABSOLUTE JUSTICE.

ALL I DID WAS PLANT A TINY SEED OF DOUBT IN THAT PERFECTION.

UNTIL IT TURNS INTO DIRTY RUMORS ABOUT THE DUCAL FAMILY AND EVENTUALLY TARNISHES THE EMPEROR'S NAME.

WELL? DO YOU GET WHAT I'M SAYING?

MY LORD, I'M SORRY.

I... I DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF PATIENCE LIKE YOU DO!

WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO? WHAT IS YOUR TRUE GOAL?

AT THIS RATE... WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE DUKE IN PERSON. YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW TERRIFYING HE IS...!

INDEED, I DON'T.

DON'T WORRY. DO YOU REALLY THINK I SET ALL THIS UP JUST TO PUT A CRACK IN THE DUKE AND DUCHESS'S RELATIONSHIP?

EVEN IF IT SEEMS USELESS, YOU HAVE TO KEEP HAMMERING AWAY, TOM,

BECAUSE EVENTUALLY, EVEN THOSE MASSIVE ROOTS WILL SHAKE.

THE CRACK HAS ALREADY BEGUN, SO ALL THAT'S LEFT...

IS THE FINAL SCHEME.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE IMPERIAL PALACE.

YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTY.

AS YOU ORDERED, DUKE AND DUCHESS DELOISTER WILL SOON BE DEPARTING FOR THEIR DUCHY.

VERY WELL.

ALSO...

I HAVE COMPLETED ALL ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND REPORTS.

THIS REPORT DETAILS THE RECENT AFFAIR SCANDAL SURROUNDING THE DUCAL HOUSE, AND...

...THE MOVEMENTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL YOU INSTRUCTED ME TO INVESTIGATE.